Lancaaster charity office officially reopens doors after December floods

Coun Redfern, Gladys Till and Stephanie Tufft open the Age UK office.

The devastation of December’s floods meant the charity’s main hub in Lancaster had to close, with the renovation recently being completed six months after the destruction.

The staff and volunteers in Lancaster rallied together during the closure to ensure they were still able to support local older people and help those most in need.

Members of the team took the time to visit people in their homes and provided winter warmth packs containing blankets, water, torches and basic food supplies, which were funded by the national Age UK charity’s emergency fund.

The reopening of the Age UK offices in Chapel Street.

The relaunch was a celebration of all the hard work and effort put in by the team at Age UK Lancashire.

Chief executive Stephanie Tufft said: “Since the closure it has been extremely hard on the whole community and we are delighted to draw a line under it and officially relaunch our information centre.

“I would like to especially thank the team for all of their hard work and how quickly they responded to our elderly clients at a very traumatic time.

“Taking time out of their personal lives to go and help their clients, providing the winter packs and much needed support, whilst dealing with their own homes, is really inspiriting and shows what a fantastic and dedicated team we have here.”

The official ribbon cutting was carried out by Lancaster mayor Robert Redfern who was also joined by a very special guest, Gladys Till, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday.

The office is now open five days a week and provides products, services and support to anyone over the age of 50.

Vital services include home help, dementia support and hospital aftercare.

The charity will soon also be offering a foot and nail care service from the site which helps people struggling with mobility.

This is the final part of the renovation which will be launching in the coming months.

For information or support please visit the offices or call 0300 303 1234. More details can also be found online at www.ageuklancs.org.uk.